Speeding Up For A Greener Environment

When Finance Ministers normally addresses the budget to the nation, immediately the permutations and analysis of complex macro numbers starts, the stock market swings and the nation is engrossed on the benefits that might be served.

However, what is gaining tremendous importance (though lately but rightly) is issues that also takes care of our environment. This time I am not speaking of the economic one but rather our "green environment". The social cost benefit analysis of any project is now of equal importance along with the other economic and financial benefits.

In India while we are not exactly that obsessive of our pollution standards but nevertheless the growing concern as well as the hugely deteriorating urban conditions due to pollution has certainly set the warning bells ringing.

 

Thus in the recent past we have seen a very active concern on behalf of both the judiciary as well as the government in making their efforts to reduce pollution levels. With such a background it does become important that when the economic prescription of the nation is read out, due focus is also provided to packages and programmes that address taking care of the environs too.

Vehicular pollution being one of the major culprits in adding on to this pollution there has been lot of changes recently which saw unleaded fuel being introduced as well as strict Euro I and Euro II norms being implemented.

The auto industry too has shown due concern and promptness in doing their bit. Given the above changes in process the other important objective which gains importance is locating alternative system of energy that would help our vehicles move. This has got a two-fold gain. While non fuel vehicles add to a pollution free environment, they also help the nation save on the precious and increasingly expensive "black gold".

Thus CNG and battery operated vehicles has been recognised as viable options especially in the city areas. For example, Delhi being the worst polluted city in India already has CNG cabs and CNG buses run by the Delhi Transport Corporation and battery operated vehicles run on a trial basis by Mahindra Bijlee and Scooters India.

There has also been start ups to such non traditional means albeit in a lukewarm way in other cities also. This is where the government should step in promoting such mode of transport in a major way.

Means of popularising such zero emission vehicles maybe through direct sops in the form of duty relief as well as research and technical help to both manufacturers and NGOs. On the user side a cheaper travel alternative would be enough to attract the passengers. Already many individual car owners are shifting to CNG as a cheaper fuel option. Going by the trends observed in the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, factory fitted CNG versions are likely to be introduced soon by many of the auto manufacturers.

However, CNG users in Delhi have been complaining of very few filling stations. DTC would also fail to meet the targets set for its CNG drive. Such bottlenecks should be addressed to if the government is serious. In the recent budget the excise restructuring exercise through the introduction of 16 per cent CENVAT has also adversely affected the cost structure. CNG and propane kits have witnessed a concessional import duty of 5 per cent.

This is a good step certainly. However, electric vehicles will have to face an excise duty rise from 8 per cent to 16 per cent under the CENVAT. This would certainly act as a dampener. Apart from the above the other area that should be given impetus is the role of NGOs in bringing about a pollution free environment.

Its high time that the NGOs as well as the government work together. While the government may not have manpower to tackle environment related norms they can certainly benefit to this extent from such organisations.

On the other hand NGOs would have an access of both funds and the administrative machinery. With World Environment Day being celebrated tomorrow, it is best we speed up.